Throughout Europe, totalitarianism has thrived, creating dangerous environments for individuals and being led by overpowering, threatening rulers. These concepts can be seen in the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Mussolini was a powerful Italian dictator who rose to power at the beginning of World War I. He became Prime Minister in 1922 and worked to create a fascist society to control all of Italy, similar to the Party in George Orwell’s 1984. Both Mussolini and the Party, or Big Brother, use some of the same techniques, which include promoting violence and instilling fear in citizens in order to maintain power. The Thought Police and the Two Minutes Hate can relate to the belligerent leadership of Mussolini, and both governments strive to
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The Party has created an omniscient figure named Big Brother to “watch over” all the citizens of Oceania; they spy on everyone through telescreens. The Party aims to control the minds of the people, starting with the control of their language. Orwell writes, “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell 52). One of the worst crimes that can be committed in Oceania is thoughtcrime, or thinking something against the Party. Creating Newspeak limits the availability of words to express oneself. As for Mussolini, he was originally a socialist, but abandoned his party to advocate Italian intervention. Similar to in Oceania, Mussolini aims to control every person under his rule. He “[sought] to combine strong nationalism with modern developmentalism and an aggressive new style of activism that prized violence, idealism, and anti-materialism” (Cowley & Parker). Mussolini’s techniques of belligerency and the promotion of violence allowed him to rise to totalitarianism. Both governments have a background of instilling fear in citizens to establish the dictatorship-like leadership present in their nations. Mussolini and the Party both confirm their totalitarianism through their …show more content…
They use relatable tactics to achieve their similar goals of absolute power. These include the promotion of hate and violence, the need for complete control, and the drilling of fear into citizens’ minds. Both nations aim to prevent individuality and freethought against the government. Despite the differences in the way the leaders rule, techniques used by both are similar, and the prevention of rebellion and crime is the main goal. The need for absolute control over the country has outweighed any protection the citizens might need. The governments demonstrate the danger that being an individual in a totalitarian society has and the very similar ways that totalitarian societies come to power. Although one society failed, and one continues to succeed, the strategies and schemes used by both Mussolini of Fascist Italy and the Party of Oceania in Orwell’s 1984 can be compared and contrasted to analyze the effectiveness of their
The Party has created an omniscient figure named Big Brother to “watch over” all the citizens of Oceania; they spy on everyone through telescreens. The Party aims to control the minds of the people, starting with the control of their language. Orwell writes, “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell 52). One of the worst crimes that can be committed in Oceania is thoughtcrime, or thinking something against the Party. Creating Newspeak limits the availability of words to express oneself. As for Mussolini, he was originally a socialist, but abandoned his party to advocate Italian intervention. Similar to in Oceania, Mussolini aims to control every person under his rule. He “[sought] to combine strong nationalism with modern developmentalism and an aggressive new style of activism that prized violence, idealism, and anti-materialism” (Cowley & Parker). Mussolini’s techniques of belligerency and the promotion of violence allowed him to rise to totalitarianism. Both governments have a background of instilling fear in citizens to establish the dictatorship-like leadership present in their nations. Mussolini and the Party both confirm their totalitarianism through their …show more content…
They use relatable tactics to achieve their similar goals of absolute power. These include the promotion of hate and violence, the need for complete control, and the drilling of fear into citizens’ minds. Both nations aim to prevent individuality and freethought against the government. Despite the differences in the way the leaders rule, techniques used by both are similar, and the prevention of rebellion and crime is the main goal. The need for absolute control over the country has outweighed any protection the citizens might need. The governments demonstrate the danger that being an individual in a totalitarian society has and the very similar ways that totalitarian societies come to power. Although one society failed, and one continues to succeed, the strategies and schemes used by both Mussolini of Fascist Italy and the Party of Oceania in Orwell’s 1984 can be compared and contrasted to analyze the effectiveness of their